There with us and what will be the most unscripted hour of the entire congressional campaign, if you have heard the expression two heads are better than one, how about three heads . We will question our candidates as is visa rodriguez, news director at the npr affiliate. Charisse davis has represented Amanda Atkins says no, she is the republican candidate in this race, you have 60 seconds to give us a sense of how you are running this race. We have to understand that you have done it for two years, what have you actually done for us over the last two years, what can we expect the next two years . Thank you so much, thank you to the moderators, everyone who came together to make this debate happen. For folks that do not know my mom raised me and my brothers, i worked my way as a First Generation College student from Johnson CountyCommunity College to cornell got the chance to serve in the white house. We kansans Work Together to self test problems, like getting really for my family when we were in the darkest days in the pandemic by passing the largest trade deal in a generation and making sure that the care finally has the right to negotiate Prescription Drug prices. My opponent has a different set of ideals she has aligned herself with extremists that have called the elections into question, would decimate Social Security and medicare and would impose a total ban on abortion without exception. Those are not the approaches that would work for us. I will work for everyone listen everyone. Amanda, you were together on the ballot two years ago you came up short then, white are you in the why are you in the race this time around . What would you do differently . I have a simple question ive asked people in the third conditional Congressional District in the last two years. It takes me back to my childhood and a great president and Ronald Reagan, are you better off today . I consistently hear from the people across the third Congressional District, eight individuals, families, that they are not. Yet to look at records 40 your high inflation that people are your high inflation people are suffering. Interest rates are suffering rising. That is due to bad policies on the part of President Joe Biden and Charisse Davis has voted for its 100 of the time. I am forced first and foremost a business leader. I am focused on results, focused on doing good things for kids and for families, i am here today to expose her record, which has been bad. We will have plenty of time to do that, your time is up. We will get the questions. With the Supreme Court decision overturning roe v. Wade, abortion rights have come to the forefront of this years midterm election, in august, a clear majority of voters in the Third District reject the idea trip the right to abortion from the state constitution, was your view on the amanda i have been clear on this issue. It was a decision that was made by the Supreme Court, the dobbs decision, abortion policy is a statelevel issue. I strongly leave the decisionmaking needs to happen very close to the people. The people in the state of kansas have spoken. I have said because i believe it is a statelevel issue. I believe in federalism. Congress does not have a role here. As such i do not support a congressional ban on abortion. My opponent in comparison in joe biden want to make a federal issue. She supports taxpayer dollars being used for abortions. She supports very painful lateterm partial abortion. I know in this election cycle more important people in this community are focused on the economy. When i go out and neighborhoods they do not talk to me about abortion. They say amanda, i can no longer afford a carton of aches. Eggs. Sharice thank you, when roe was overturned folks were scared. I know tons of people write your home had anxiety. We watched as neighboring states were passing extreme laws. I have been very clear since the first time i spoke on this. I am prochoice. I will always fight to protect a womans right to choose and make sure that politicians are not the ones making the decision for you. My opponent has the issue is not her specific stance that she is prolife. Is that we cannot trust her on these issues. On her website she supports an agenda that would lead to a total ban with no exceptions. Your answer will change depending on who the audience is. Frankly it is very concerning and says a lot about what kind of representative you would be. Yet there just extra but. Amanda your comments are this honest. And deceptive. I have been i have been prolife my entire life. I have. Been very clear. I have been interviewed almost 15 times on this issue. I have said the federal government had does not have a role. I therefore do not believe the federal government should push a congressional ban on abortion. I would add that people in this district have already spoken. Should Sharice Davis your last word . Sharice i would encourage folks to go to my opponents website and look at the legislative agenda she has endorsed. It includes a total abortion ban. I will always fight to protect people from having state or federal politicians making your Health Care Decisions for you. Another question. There has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud and dozens of lawsuits have been dismissed for lack of evidence. Former President Trump in many of his allies insist that the election has been stolen from him. This is become a barometer of sorts if you believe the former president s unsubstantiated claims. Do you accept joe biden as a legitimate president of the guys ate sent you confidence and the United States and are you confident in the election system . Democracy is the bedrock of this country, any attempt by candidates to undermine the election is a dangerous move. Yes i do we have a legitimately elected president , should not be controversial and it does not take a lot of guts to say that. I will tell you that i have been very concerned about my opponents alignment with some of the most extreme voices of the republican party. Ted cruz, was just here, when the top election deniers in the country. The fact that she is most proud of having calvin haydens endorsement that has wasted Johnson County taxpayer dollars on various conspiracy theories. Calvin hayden, the Johnson County sheriff. Amanda. Amanda i have publicly stated i believe joe biden won the election. I have publicly stated a strong belief system the u. S. Constitution that our states should run elections. Here is great news for our voters. Our state election laws are very very strong. We have a great system of checks and balances in this state that i strongly believe in. My opponent by comparison supports legislation like hr one, the socalled or the people act that would nationalize elections. I believe in kansas election laws. It would do things like create an elections are as if the federal government is not big enough and poor public money into a campaign at a time were we are already stretched far through too thin. You have 30 things to rebut. Sharice thank you so much i feel like we have to acknowledge it almost took 20 months for my opponent to acknowledge that we had a legitimate 2020 election. I appreciate my opponent standing here today saying that she thinks we have quality, safe, Fair Elections in kansas. I wish she did not align herself with someone that continued to call that and question. Amanda i find it interesting when she talks about alignment. You should comment about it over the course of this debate, have you ever not voted with joe biden . Public record shows a you have voted with joe biden 100 of the time, within the last week there are members of his ministrations that came to this community and you would not show up with them. I have found it interesting that you have tried to hide with your affiliation with the president. I know, his record as it relates to the economy is a disaster. I know you will find ways of leaving it in later, on the economic front, wages are not keeping it pays pace with inflation. Supply chains remain inflexible, with winter approaching americans are preparing to face sky high home heating bills. What is the single guest action will take in congress to help york biggest action you will take and covet to help your constituents line there pockets. Amanda the single Biggest Issue i hear in the third condition third Congressional District is how worried they are about inflation. Right now, families, current inflation levels are hit roughly on average, a hit of 8,700 in negative expense per year. They are paying the same amount of money for the same goods and services. Families cannot afford that. My opponent has directly contributed to that. The big one, she voted for the American Rescue plan in the spring of 2021. She was warned by leftwing economists, people like Larry Summers that it would contribute to inflation. Here we are today, i by contrast are for a balanced budget and for getting this country back to a surplus. We need to stop reckless spending. Continue to reduce the deficit in this country. We need to commit to a balanced budget. Thank you and Sharice Davis plan is what . Sharice thank you so much, things have been hard from eight Public Health crisis that led to an economic crisis. I am hearing it from folks, my mom raised me and my brothers by herself. That anxiety, not being sure if you can put gas in the car or food on the table is real. It is why i focus on things like a federal gas tax holiday that would mean an . 18 per gallon savings. Making sure that we are not in places like china. My opponent, it is actually hard to take her position seriously when i know she was a senior aide to Sam Brownback when he decimated our states budget, destroyed our Public Education system, and downgraded our credit rating. Amanda here is my comment to ms. Davis. While you have contributed to the problem, decimated the economy, highest level of inflation in 20 years, increasing Interest Rates. In a recession that we are in or looming, the time period she was talking about, i was Building Business in this community and this country. I was building some of the new business areas that contributed to growth, hiring people in this community. I did so for 15 plus years. I did that in business and in health,. Health care. Sharice i want to turn really could lead to something my opponent has says a couple of times. She likes to cite statistics about voting with the president , he is not in the house he does not vote. That is based on less than 10 of the votes i taken this congress. I have not heard her mention the 70 of my bills are bipartisan. I have worked on on sticking our supply chains unsticking are supply chain to bipartisan info structure. The number of people trying to cross americas southern border has skyrocketed to significant highs this year. What is your view on federal immigration and what state policies you support . Sharice our immigration system is broken. This has been a problem for too long. What we really need is bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform. I have worked as hard as i can to find that agreement. We have been able to support, i have supported getting additional funding to secure our borders. Whether it is the technology that will help make us not only more effective but more efficient, i also think we need to make sure we are keeping our promises to our dreamers. People need to be treated as a humans they are. On immigration my concern is that my opponent will not take a bipartisan approach. I was so disappointed last time around when she failed to stand up to the former president when he was taking kids away from their families. Amanda. Amanda our border is not secure and it is an absolute disaster. I have been to the southern border. I know from conversations with our sheriffs and our District Attorney who is a supporter of mine. Where we have crime in this committee, underlying it it is so is about drugs. I went to the southern border, this is what i have heard, it is a direct result of the by demonstration, one, the borders of them, to the cartel is built a multibilliondollar industry and smuggling people and drugs across the border. Three, we have a humanitarian crisis nobody is talking about. I believe renee had need to have a skull wall in believe we need to have a is a call wall physical wall in some areas. We need to have hightech surveillance in combination. We need to protect our Border Control agents. Missed ms. Davis says you must defund ice. You have a chance to rebut. Amanda sharice i will talk about the things i voted to support like increasing technology at the border. Not only do we need to be effective need to be efficient with our taxpayer dollars. That is why i supported policies like that. I want to take issue with the fact that every time the issue of immigration and fixing our immigration system comes up, it is disappointing to hear my opponent regurgitate republican talking points. Amanda i would ask miss davis, abc can comment on this on a future question, our Vice President of the night states repeatedly of the United States repeatedly said the southern border secure. When will she support refute that . People are suffering a humanitarian crisis, our Border Agents have a message for you, they cannot believe you voted for 80 billions of dollars of money for more irs agents, they are not backed up, the message from the sheriff is that there is no end in sight. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the sussexes purity Social Security program will be paying out more money than it takes in. How will you address that issue . We need to be transparent with the American People that there is a looming crisis, if we do nothing over the course of next 10 years, people cannot expect people can expect as much as a 20 cut. That is a real problem. There are a couple of things we need to do. One, as someone who worked in business come we need to increase a number of people who pay into the system. I have a plan for women to reenter the workforce, particularly postcovid, i also believe immigration should be a workforce issue. I want people to come to this country in the right way and legally, finally people that i make two people that are at retirement or near, people that are age 50, we have to protect and preserve their benefits. Sharice thank you so much. I have always said the federal government needs to keep its promises. Social security is something that is one of those promises. People work their entire adult lives paying into Social Security. We need to make sure that we are managing the Social Security program in an effective way. This is one of the areas where i like the idea of getting more people into the workforce. It is why i support our small this is committees as a backbone of our economy communities as the backbone of our economy and the reason we have the kind of job growth we have. I am concerned because my opponent again supports go to her website she supports a website legislate a policy that would devastate so security Social Security. Amanda i have made very clear comments about how to bring more people into this country through the immigration process legally. I have a whole plan to bring more women back into the workforce. It is interesting, the only comment ive heard on your solution is that we need to have another czar over Social Security. It tells me and the people in the third Congressional District that congress, leaders like you need to want to kick the can down the road. Amanda, you get the final word on the Social Security wait. Sharice i want to Say Something serious here. My opponent, she keeps using this word deceptive. I want people to go to her website and look at the legislative plan, the plan she has endorsed that would decimate Social Security and force people to work many more years. That is as much time as you have. I get to have a question. This will go to you first. What in your view is the biggest single threat facing america . If youre elected to congress for the next two years what would you do to lessen that threat . Sharice thank you. First of all, my mom was in the army, my grandfather was in the army. My mom was stationed in germany when the berlin wall came down. We were over there when that happened. Watching Vladimir Putin and and unprovoked and aggressive way invade a democratic sovereign state like ukraine is truly alarming. I think we have got to make sure that we are continuing to stand with our allies on the world stage. By the way it would not of been possible under the previous president. We have to make sure we continue to impose strict sanctions on people like Vladimir Putin. We have to make sure we are protecting democracies, and i just think this takes cannot be higher on watching what is happening over there. The biggest threat for amanda is what . Amanda i appreciate the comments on global freedom, sadly at this point in time, i remember Ronald Reagan saying this country should be a shining city on the hill.